Roswell Adventures

Soup season is upon us! Chances are most of us have some odds and ends in our kitchen and fridge that we could make into soup. This is what happened with me on a recent Saturday. I had small sandwich bags with cauliflower and celery left from a lunch that day. I decided to dig through the fridge to see what else to add it, and here is what I came up with. By the way, if you are one of those people who thoroughly dislike when you are not given exact measurements for recipes, I apologize in advance. I also apologize for lack of pictures. We didn't plan well and kind of chowed down without taking any. Cheesy Vegetable Soup Vegetable Base Ingredients Cauliflower , chopped into florets then thinly sliced (about 1 cup) ~ 8 baby carrots , sliced thinly 3 veggie-try sized pieces of celery, chopped 1/ 2 onion, chopped  ~1/2 cups finely chopped green chiles ~1-inch wide str...

 It's fall! That means you can still score some roasted green chiles, and the temperatures have enough variation that you just might be able to enjoy a nice, rich bowl of soup wihtout having to run the AC to convince yourself it really is cooling off.  I love this recipe because of the way the flavors meld together. Between the green chiles and the chipotle chiles, it is not for the faint-of-tastebud. However, you can always adjust the recipe by reducing the heat of the green chiles used or the amount of both types of chiles. And the recipe includes some other tips on adjusting the heat for a multitude of palates. Southwestern Chowder Prep Time: 10-15 Minutes  | Cook Time: 35 Minutes  |  Serves 8 as a side or 4 as a meal 6 slices deli bacon (slices are larger), cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or smaller) 1 medium to large onion, diced 2 tablespoons butter 2 large ears of fresh corn, shucked, and with kernels cut...

After delays due to traveling to a conference and weird-cold weather, we finally planted our bales. Tomatoes, peppers, squash and watermelons were added to our pots of flowers and herbs. It looked pretty good! We decided to do something different and planted this tomato and watermelon in the berry patch that ended up being a no-berry patch. We have tomatoes and peppers in these bales, and a squash and watermelon are planted in the thick mat of old straw. This isn't a seasonal garden, but I love how our grass and hesperaloe hill is looking!  Front bales with squash and a couple of marigolds to keep them company. Larger squash bale planting, which will soon have another squash and an Armenian cuc. Our main tomato bales, with basil thrown in for good measure. And then the hail hit...two nights in a row. The damage you see below was caused by the storms that went through last night (9 May).  A little visual to show what the typical hail stone w...

This is my original chili recipe. I haven't made it in ages, but thought people might be interested. SUE’S CHILI - EPISODE ONE 6 lbs extra lean ground beef               3 onions, chopped 1 1/2 green pepper, chopped             1 1/2 red pepper, chopped 6 cloves garlic, chopped                     6 Tbsp vegetable oil 3 14.5 oz cans tomatoes with green chiles 3 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes   3 16 oz cans kidney beans                            3 16 oz cans pinto beans 3 small cans tomato paste                            3...

Isn't chili amazing! So many variations. So many opportunities to improvise. I didn't grow up eating chili, let alone making it. In fact, one of the first time I ventured into the world of chili making was when my friend JJ was hosting an unofficial chili cook-off at Colossal Cave Mountain Park. I played around with the recipe and came up with what ended up being a winner. Literally. I tied for first place (and I still have the dinner triangle I won. (I don't use it, because the neighbors wouldn't appreciate it.)  That recipe was called Sue's Chili: Episode One , and it relied heavily on canned ingredients. Nothing against canned ingredients, other than my gut just can't handle the processed food much. So, I started totally from scratch and ended up with this recipe: C4 - Chocolate Chipotle Coffee Chili. When I don't have tomatoes in the freezer, I used canned for this. The chipotle chiles in adobo are also canned. My gut doesn't seem to obj...

Warm weather hit early. We were all nervous about a late freeze, and while a late frost did stunt the flowering tip of one of our hesperaloe plants, everything else seems to have fared well.   Our front hill was inspired by a rest stop in Texas a few years back - hesperaloe (a.k.a red yucca) planted among native grasses. Chuck built the hill with the dirt from the patio excavation. These bales are by our mailbox and will hold beets, carrots, and who-knows-what else. All of our bales are in the front yard this year. Our Asian pear trees, newly planted last year, have quite a few fruit on them. We have some thinning to do, as the branches are very small for so many fruit. We'll keep a close eye on them.    Our apple tree (not sure of the variety) has had very staggered blooming this year. It seems to have fared well with late frosts. Looking forward to making applesauce this year!   These bales closest to the front porch will hold cher...

Have you ever had baked eggs? Our first experiment with baked eggs was in avocado halves (note - make sure the "pit divot" is large enough to fit the cracked egg, or a mess will ensue). We later tried eggs baked in marinara. Both were fabulous! Last night, as we were enjoying bowls of chili, I suggested we try eggs baked in chili. Why not, right? Turned out pretty good...even if they took longer than planned. Why did they take longer than planned? Well, I left out an important step - heat the chili up first! While the chili is heating, butter the sides of a large ramekin. Then add your chili. I used leftover homemade chili, but any chili will do. Just make sure to heat it up first! Otherwise, when you pop it into the oven you will have to heat up the chili and cook the egg. Trust me - this adds significantly to the cooking time. Since we were only having one egg each, I made a small divot in the chili to keep it centered. After the egg is in plac...

The first time I experienced Bananas Foster was as a topping at a brunch at Coronado Vineyards in Willcox, AZ. In a word - amazing! In a second word - dangerous! I hunted around a bit and found a recipe we love. It really is easy - and it certainly dresses up breakfast! Keep in mind, this recipe is best for the every-now-and-again use. I would not recommend having this every day - or even every week, for that matter! But it is pretty darn amazing :) Bananas Foster 2 tablespoons butter 2 bananas, in thick slices 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 pinch salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 oz coconut rum In a medium cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add sliced bananas and stir for 2 minutes. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix rum and vanilla. Lower heat. Add brown sugar mix and vanilla mix. Continue cooking, stirring constantly for 2 more minutes. Makes 3 servings. Serve over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, or whatever soun...

We've had a mild winter, but colder weather is supposedly heading our way - with snow possible for tonight or tomorrow. That, of course, means a nice, savory pot of yumminess for dinner. I hadn't made this in more than a year - don't you hate it when you forget about a favorite recipe? I can hear you now...those beans are not white, therefore, this is not truly white chicken chili. OK, you've got me there! But not only did we have these beans in the pantry, but they are heirloom beans we bought at the farmers' market in the Ferry Building in San Francisco last summer. That seemed a better choice than running to the store for navy beans who have been in bags for who-knows-how-long. The beans weren't the only adventure-based ingredient. The corn was from our crazy run to Apple Annie's in Willcox, AZ last summer. We picked peaches and bought some of their amazing bi-color corn. Oh...no peaches in this recipe, though. The gre...

I created this recipe a couple of years back and figured it was time for me to put it on my blog...mostly so I can find it easily. 😄 I love the combination of sweet and spicy. You can use less jalapeno, if you like...or more, if the mood suits you. One key to this is to not overcook the carrots to start with, as you will want them to simmer in the sauce a bit.  The alternate glaze may not lend itself as well to simmering, but you can let it sit in the glaze while you finish up the rest of the meal. Sue’s Jalapeño Glazed Carrots with Pecans Serves 4 – 259 calories per serving Ingredients 2 cups baby carrots 1/8 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons butter ¼ cup finely diced jalepeño pepper 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 2 tablespoons orange marmalade, Simply Fruit 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped Preparation 1.     If carrots are thick, slice longitudinally in half or quarters. 2.  ...